America Needs Goldwater and Miller

Photographs of two men's heads in blue and white on top of an illustration of the United States with a blue star on either side, all on top of a red white and blue striped background.

Barry Goldwater was a United States Senator from Arizona who won the Republican Party's presidential nomination for the 1964 election against Lyndon B. Johnson.  Goldwater wanted the American people to regain responsibility for choices and take control away from and limit the power coming from Washington. In order for that to happen, America needed Goldwater and Miller to win the election.   

Goldwater had a large conservative constituency and became most known for his work with labor-union reform and anti-communism.  Goldwater fought to help stop communism from spreading throughout the globe.  Goldwater was also a supporter of the conservative coalition which led to Congress passing new reform in 1957 against anti-corruption.  Many of his opponents in the primary elections tried to covey Goldwater as an extremist with his conservative views, though his voting record proved to be in line with other members of the Republican party.

William Edward Miller was Goldwater's chosen running mate for Vice President.  Miller was a former District Attorney of New York and served in the US House of Representatives from 1951 to 1965 and was chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1961 to 1964.  Miller was the only Catholic to run on a presidential ballot until 2012 and though some claimed that his religious beliefs balanced the Goldwater/Miller ticket, he was a conservative just like Goldwater.  Miller was not very well known throughout the political community.

Goldwater and Miller lost the election, carrying only six states and 38% of the popular vote.